A Wish On A Butterfly
by requiem22
Summary: Shikamaru makes a wish on a butterfly, wanting Ino to somehow fall in love with him. It is said that butterflies take wishes to heaven, where the gods grant them. Will his wish be answered? Or will he wait for a wish that will never come? [ShikaIno]
1. The Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I guess making all those drawings and sketches and whatever and submitting them before deadlines seems like so much hard work.

Um, This is my first fanfic, so please go easy on me! I'm not sure I'm good at this!

A Wish On A Butterfly

Chapter 1 – The Wish

In his eyes, she was perfect.

She was graceful, elegant, and refined. The way she would smile, how beautiful her angelic face looked when it was happy, and the way her blonde hair would sway in the gentle breeze.

It all mesmerized him, and try as he might, he couldn't find a single flaw.

All he wanted to do was to protect her, to shield her from harm. He wanted to be her pillow when she was heartbroken from yet another rejected love request, courtesy of the Uchiha heir. He wanted to be her punching bag when she was flaring with anger. Heck, he didn't even care if he lost his life in the process.

He just wanted to be with her.

…

**WAIT**.

With…her? Of course, he liked the sound of it, but with her? With Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha-crazed fan-girl, resident flower lover of Konoha? With his teammate who bossed him and Chouji around all day?

What was he, crazy?

Oh yes, he definitely was crazy.

Crazy in love, that is.

She was not his dream wife, and she was even everything he didn't imagine "perfect" to be. He was completely different from her. He was a lazy genius, a great Chuunin strategist, none other than Nara Shikamaru, the cloud watcher.

But he knew he couldn't have her. She wouldn't accept him. Besides, she was already taken. By the man most girls are infatuated with. Yes, the raven haired, egotistical freak who was completely hell-bent on revenge. He even left the village already, now a missing-nin. And yet, even as you think that the numbers of his fan girls would decrease greatly or even become none at all, instead they increased even more. Wait a minute, what was his name again? Ah, yes.

Uchiha Sasuke.

He wouldn't even look her way, not until the time Itachi falls in love with Orochimaru and becomes gay.

Not to Ino, who did nothing but follow his every word all day. He definitely didn't deserve that love at all, and yet he had it.

Damn, was he jealous.

The world, in his eyes, could never be more unfair! She's in love with someone who will never bother to care whatever happens!

What could she possible see in him that is so amazing? What was so great about the avenger? And what did he have that Shikamaru didn't?

Of course he had his looks, and Shikamaru wasn't exactly as handsome as him, but it was so strange.

Look at Neji! He's handsome, he's smart! He's also obsessed with revenge for the Main Family! He is dark, mean and unfeeling too!

So why Sasuke?

Why not Shikamaru?

And this thing, this one, simple thing – was the only thing he, Nara Shikamaru, couldn't understand.

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"Chouji, I still don't get why Ino likes Sasuke so much. What does she see in him that makes him different? Or rather, what do all those Uchiha-crazed fan girls see in him?" Shikamaru asked a guy who was rapidly eating a big pack of potato chips as they strolled down the streets of Konoha.

"I can't stand it anymore! Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! It's always the damn Uchiha!" He yelled.

Chouji just grinned and shrugged, taking out another potato chip from his seemingly never-endless bag of chips.

"Honestly, Shikamaru, I don't get it either. Anyway, how should I know?" The fat guy shrugged. He continued to chomp on more chips. "Mmm, barbecue flavor."

"Ino and Sasuke don't even fit each other! It's obviously Sakura who should be with Sasuke, not Ino!" Shikamaru reasoned, near the point of blowing up.

"Mendokuse!"

Chouji laughed, eyeing a giant sized pack of chili and cheese chips in the store window.

"Well, Shikamaru, that's her life. It's all about the Uchiha," the fat Akimichi replied, throwing his barbecue chip wrapper in the trash.

Wow.

It seems like his bottomless pack of chips **DOES** have a bottom after all.

"Hey, just a minute, Shikamaru. I'm going to buy those chips over there." Chouji said, licking his lips. Eww.

Then he walked away, leaving Shikamaru to ponder on Ino's infatuation again.

Shikamaru sighed. "Girls are too troublesome," he said, looking up at the endless deep blue ocean up above him, and the great big tufts of cotton floating in it.

"Kami-sama, why did I ever have to fall in love?"

"Hey Shikamaru, I'm back." Shikamaru looked at Chouji, who was happily stuffing his greedy little mouth with chili and cheese chips.

Shikamaru groaned.

"Damn Chouji, do you think of **ANYTHING** else **BUT** your potato chips? Don't you know that's a sin? That that's gluttony? Mendokuse." Shikamaru sighed.

Chouji stopped and thought for a moment, miraculously not eating anything from his ever-present pack of chips. He shrugged and grinned again. "Nope, actually I don't. And besides, I'm never full, so how could I be a glutton when the dictionary definition of it is someone who eats more food even when he's full?"

"Aw, damn. It's no use arguing with you. Forget about it then."

"Hey, I was just wondering. Why did you ask that? You are complaining way much more than you normally do, which is – actually – never at all."

Shikamaru stiffened like a stone statue in the middle of a meadow in Greece.

"Uh…ehrm…I just wanted to know," the pineapple-haired guy stated blandly. "Ehehehehe."

"Hmm," Chouji said, his eyes turning fox-like. He leaned a little towards Shikamaru.

"You **NEVER** like to start conversations. You're too lazy to even say a thing. Also, you don't talk about Ino and her obsession with Uchiha-san. Doesn't it make you bored? Tired? Don't you think it's…"

"**TROUBLESOME?**"

Shikamaru's face turned a hundred shades of red, and he began to stutter.

"Oh, and do I sense…love in the air?" Chouji teased again.

"Uh…ehrm…gotta run!" he said, and dashed away.

"Heh, best friend, you can't hide anything, can you?"

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"Damn, if only Chouji didn't ask that, I would've gotten away with it," Shikamaru said, panting from his quick escape. "I just hope he doesn't tell everyone. Then again, Chouji's too busy eating his potato chips."

He began to remember the stuttering scene.

"Oh, great. Now Chouji will kill me with "Shikamaru's being like Hinata! Hinata, are you sure you aren't using Henge no jutsu?"

"Ugh! Oh well."

He sighed yet again, maybe another characteristic trait of his after his oh-so favorite word, troublesome.

Plopping down on the soft, dew-wet grass, he crossed his arms and propped them up behind his head to support himself.

As always, he began his cloud-watching session and stared at the moving condensed water particles suspended in the sky. In other words, clouds.

Shikamaru smiled. "They're so free, having no responsibilities at all. They're kind of like Ino's butterfly…."

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-Flashback-

"_Ohayo, Shika-kun!" seven-year-old Ino said, grinning._

_Saying nothing else, she laid down on the soft carpet of grass below, her hair fanned out and her purple dress ruffled, beside Shikamaru who was doing nothing but watching the clouds._

"_Ohayo, Ino." He replied, a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips._

_There were a few minutes of tranquil silence, both watching the swaying clouds that seemed to dance in the wind, before Ino broke the ice._

"_Ne, Shika-kun."_

_Shikamaru stole a glance at her. "What is it?"_

"_Why…why are you here? Otou-san said you were sick. You weren't at your house or at the Ichiraku ramen or even at the training grounds. So I thought that you would probably be here." Ino said quietly._

_Shikamaru turned a little pink, then turned away._

"_I'm sorry."_

_That was the time Ino blew her top._

"_Sorry! You _**BAKA**_! You could get worse from staying outside! Your fever might rise! And you know what else! I was…I was…"_

_Tears started to form, streaming down like crystalline rivers._

"_Shikamaru, I was…"_

_Her hair covered her face as she looked down at the ground, shaking. Whether it was from anger, worry or sadness, Shikamaru didn't know._

"…_Shikamaru… you baka. I was worried about you." She said, looking up at him with red puffy eyes._

_Shikamaru's eyes, widened from shock that Ino was actually worried about him, looked at the platinum blonde-haired girl._

_Then she suddenly stopped, wiping her bloodshot eyes._

"_Sorry for shouting, Shika-kun. I wasn't thinking…" She said._

"_It's okay, Ino. I'm sorry too."_

_That seemed to heal the wounds, and Ino smiled again._

"_Now, I'm going to show you something," she held her gently closed fist up for him to see._

_She opened up her palm, and sitting on it was a solitary monarch butterfly, its wings, bright orange bordered with black, fluttering erratically._

"_Otou-san said that butterflies are supposed to grant wishes. All I have to do is make a wish, then let it go. It is said that the butterflies will take your wishes to the heavens, for the gods to grant them. But, you have to make sure that they have good intentions, or the gods will surely get mad and send a bolt of lightning as punishment," Ino explained._

"_Hmm…so what did you wish for?" Shikamaru asked, curious._

"_Oh, but that's a secret." Ino laughed._

"_Just a hint: it's not about you getting well, though I do want you to."_

"_If so, then it's about Sasuke, isn't it?" Shikamaru said._

_Ino blushed, turning as bright as shade of pink Sakura's hair color is, but shook her head frantically._

"_No, no! Not this time. I wished for someone else. Someone very special."_

_Shikamaru only looked at her curiously, stumped as to who that might be. Who else? Sakura? Was she special to Ino?_

_Ino just winked, and let the winged creature go, flying up to the sky, where the gods supposedly grant wishes._

-End of Flashback-

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Shikamaru smiled at the childhood memory, which seemed to make his problems go away.

He closed his eyes and tried to doze off, but…

…a butterfly settled itself on his index finger.

He stared at it for a moment, wondering if he should make a wish and let it go, like Ino did.

"That's so childish…..but what the heck. I won't lose anything, and it's worth a try anyway."

"I…I wish Ino would fall in love with me. Or at least, let her be happy. I wouldn't really want to force her." He told the butterfly.

And then, he let go.

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TBC…

Mendokuse means **_troublesome_**.

Kami-sama means **_God_**.

Ohayo means **_hello_**.

Baka means **_idiot; stupid_**.

Otou-san means **_Dad_**. (I think ;;)

Ok, is it nice? Should I continue it or delete it? I appreciate suggestions and comments, so please leave me a review! It makes me happy to know that people are reading this.

Thanks!


	2. Getting Over Him

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, okay? Don't sue me! I'm obviously not Masashi Kishimoto because I'm female! FEMALE! Get the picture?

I'm back, and say hello to my second chapter, Getting Over Him. Thank you so much to the people who reviewed, all of you made me so happy! I hope you like this chapter!

A Wish On A Butterfly

Chapter 2– Getting Over Him

Ino wasn't there when Sasuke left Konoha.

Only Sakura was. From all the fangirls, from all the people who could be there, from Sakura and Ino, only she was there.

Only Sakura.

And she used to care about him so much, cried everyday because he wasn't there, regretted not saying at least goodbye to him, but now…

…she didn't know. When someone mentioned his name, she didn't blush anymore. She didn't look at the picture of him she took when she was stalking him everyday anymore. She didn't even get jealous and retort when Sakura said he still loves her anymore.

She had to face the fact that the handsome Uchiha didn't occupy her life anymore, and every single breath she made wasn't really for him. They were hers alone. She was paying attention now to other different aspects of her life.

Like her team, training, taking care of the flower shop, Shikamaru, and…

…

**WHAT THE!**

No, no, no! She said that last part incorrectly! Yeah, she did! Of course she did! She wasn't thinking!

But, now that she had remembered him, she had to admit that she did find the lazy Chuunin cute. With his pineapple hair, and his black eyes, the little smile of his, and how he walks with his arms crossed behind his head…

No, no, NO! Forget about that guy! He's only a friend! Just a friend! Just a cute friend who I kind of gave up on when I was little because he was too lazy to notice that I liked…

NO! Not that! Stupid voice in my head! Wait!

Okay, let's just rewind that and forget I ever said anything! Anything I feel about him is **secret**… maybe I'll tell you later…

So anyway…

Sasuke was pushed into a forgotten corner in her mind.

And she remembered that a wise, ancient saying quotes:

"Old habits fade, but true love doesn't."

That was true, wasn't it?

So why did Ino seem to stop loving him?

Was her love true in the first place?

Those were the questions.

The answers were pushed in front of her face, but she was blind. She refused to believe the honest and simple truth that lied hidden in her heart for the past fifteen years.

But now, as she thought about those realities that she so carelessly pushed aside, the past memories with him hit her like a bullet.

He had always rejected her.

Was there a single moment that he, with his own free will, had accepted her love?

Was there a single second that he smiled at her?

Was there even a single time that he considered her someone significant?

No.

And did Ino really care? Was she really heartbroken, up to now?

Surprisingly, the answer was no. Not really.

Startled with the real answer to the questions, Ino was left with one, painful reason that she knew she could never accept.

Had she, Yamanaka Ino…gotten over him?

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A blonde kunoichi sat behind the counter, daydreaming, when a girl with strange pink hair came in.

"Forehead-girl! Ohayo!" Ino waved from behind the counter in her family flower shop.

"Ohayo, Ino-pig." Sakura smiled in reply.

"Damn, forehead-girl, stop calling me that!"

"**YOU** stop calling me forehead-girl!"

"But that one's true!"

"Ino-pig's true too!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"NOT!"

"IS!"

"**NOT!**"

"**IS!"**

They glared at the other with extremely childish annoyance for a few seconds until Ino said something.

"Okay, okay, let's just stop this!" Ino cried in frustration.

"For God's sake and mine, SAKURA, onegai, let's just stop this before Otou-san finds us yelling and grounds me!"

Sakura sighed.

"Okay. Gomen, Ino-pig."

"**ARGGGHHHHHHH!**"

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A hellish scream reverberated throughout Konoha. Birds flew, and small rocks and stones quivered and shook.

The pieces on Shikamaru's shougi board shook too.

"What was that?" Chouji asked Shikamaru, who was looking intently at the board game, trying to figure out whether the move he was thinking of was good or not.

"Sounded like Ino," Shikamaru replied bluntly, moving one of the pieces. "Checkmate."

Chouji looked at the board, and finding out that Shikamaru was right, just shook his head. It was just what he expected.

He sighed.

"Not again."

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"Okay, what exactly did you want, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked, taking off her apron, after they both decided not to call each other names anymore.

Oh yes, old habits do fade.

"Nothing much. What we usually do. You know, ramen at Ichiraku. We haven't had a talk in a long, long time, you see?" Sakura replied, shrugging. "Or wherever you want to go. Anywhere's fine with me, as long as it's not Naruto's house."

"Oh, Ichiraku is fine with me. I'm a bit in the mood for ramen today. Let's just hope Naruto isn't there."

"Don't remind me."

Both kunoichis shivered, remembering the time Naruto "accidentally" spilled a full bowl of VERY hot ramen on both of their heads.

Their hair was very…soggy after that. Not to mention, tangled with noodles.

I'm not going to give you the details of what happened next. I don't think you want to know.

Let's just say there was a lot of blood and a stretcher, two humongous purple bruises on Naruto's face, and a girly shriek that sounded as if it came from the very depths of the underworld.

Okay, now let's go back to the story.

"Come on now, Ino-chan, let's go!" Sakura called.

"I'm coming, I'm just going to tell Otou-san that I'll be out for a while," Ino replied.

"Yeah."

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"You're going where?"

"Otou-san, I'll just be going to the Ichiraku ramen shop with Sakura-chan. Don't worry about it."

"Ichiraku? Okay, you can go." Her father said. "I'll be here, taking care of the flower shop. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me. And have fun!"

"Hai, Otou-san. Bye!"

Ino smiled and said goodbye before she went out of the entrance with a bubblegum-haired medic nin.

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At Ichiraku's ramen stand…

"Guess our wishes weren't granted," Sakura groaned as a certain loudmouthed blonde shinobi in an orange tracksuit waved hyperactively.

"Sakura-chan! Ino-san! Ohayo!" Naruto yelled, his mouth plastered with bits of ramen. Blech.

The kunoichis just looked at each other exasperatedly, then turned back to the Kyuubi boy.

"Ohayo, Naruto kun." They said simply and sat down.

"So, how many bowls of ramen do you ladies want?" the ramen storeowner asked.

"Two is fine with us."

"Then two it is. Please wait, just a minute," he said and turned to his assistant.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Ino said, trying to start a conversation. They might as well talk while waiting, right?

"Sakura-chan? Isn't she forehead-girl to you, Ino-san?" Naruto said.

"Stop bugging us!" Sakura said. "Ino's talking to me, not you, okay?"

Naruto just stared for a while, put his empty bowl of ramen onto the growing pile beside him, shrugged, and ordered another bowl again.

"Another ramen please!"

"Coming!" the assistant replied.

"Okay, that took quite long…" Ino said, after the two best friends got their bowls of ramen.

Sakura just nodded in reply as she ate the noodles quietly.

"Yeah, he's such a dobe."

Naruto stared again, trying to inspect Tsunade's apprentice.

"What the? Only Sasuke calls me that!" Naruto yelled with his mouth full.

And yes, ramen chunks did fly all over the place, including Sakura's head. But Naruto still kept on shrieking.

"SASUKE! What have you done to my precious Sakura-chan!" was one of them.

And more and more incoherent words just flew out of his mouth.

Sakura, on the other hand, just blew up.

"**FIRST OF ALL, DON'T CALL ME SAKURA-CHAN! SECONDLY, I'M NOT YOURS! THIRDLY, SLURPING YOUR RAMEN IS JUST GROSS! AND FINALLY, DON'T TALK ABOUT SASUKE!"**

Everybody who was within the radius of twenty meters near her swore that their eardrums had popped.

"Ow, Sakura-chan, don't scream in my ear…" Naruto said, grasping his ears and holding them tightly as if that would help. Sakura's screams could go through ANYTHING.

"Let's just get AWAY from here! And Naruto, just don't call me Sakura-chan! Go bother Hinata or something!"

"What? Why Hinata?"

"Don't you get it? Oh Naruto, you are so dense," Ino shook her head. "Don't you see that Hinata--"

"Ino, let Naruto figure it out for himself. If it's love, they'll both know! Well, at least Hinata does." Sakura said, and pulled Ino away.

"What? Love? Hinata? Wait!"

Oh, you're too late.

Sakura and Ino had already left Naruto in his dense, dense confusion.

"Hi…Hinata?"

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The two were strolling down the same street that Chouji and Shikamaru had walked on the day before. Sakura had already cooled down.

"Sakura, don't tell me that you're still so affected by Sasuke!" the blonde kunoichi exclaimed, somewhat puzzled, after seeing Sakura still so very much angered by the simple utter of his name.

After all, she wasn't affected now, so she wasn't used to it anymore.

"What? You don't, Ino?"

"Sometimes I do, but not always. He doesn't affect me that much anymore, you know?" Ino shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess he's just a part of my life now. I think that…I've gotten over him."

"Oh…okay I guess." Sakura said quietly, looking down on the ground. She kind of felt weird that she didn't have a rival anymore. But that was her other personality.

_Inner Sakura: HELL YEAH! One less girl to worry about getting MY Sasuke!_

"Anyway, who's the new guy?" Sakura asked, snapping her head back to its rightful position.

"Huh? What new guy?"

"Oh, you know. Your new obsession." Sakura said, smiling sweetly.

Though, of course, her eyes were fox-like. You know what she's up to.

Ino stopped in her tracks, staring dumbly.

"New…obsession?"

Sakura just rolled her eyes. Maybe Ino was just as dense as Naruto too.

"Duh. What did I just say?"

"Uh…new obsession?" Ino said.

But actually, a certain pineapple-haired genius was on her mind. And she wasn't going to admit that. Not even to herself.

"Oh, forget about it."

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TBC…

Onegai means **_please_**.

Hai means **_yes_**.

Ohayo means **_hello_**.

Otou-san means **_Dad, Stepdad, Grandfather, etc_**. (thanks to the reviewer who gave me the info, Natsyourlord!)

Once again, to anyone who reads this, please leave me a comment or suggestion! I'm happy to know that you at least read this!

Also, I'm not sure if this chapter is nice! So leave a comment at least then I'll know!

Anyway, my update times aren't fixed so I can either update early or late! Usually, It will be in three to four days! But unless I'm on a vacation (when I have one I'll let you know), I won't let the updates get posted later than past a week! But I'll do my best to update on time!

Thank you very much, minna-san! (sorry for using so may exclamation marks! Hehehehehe…)


	3. Alone or not?

Disclaimer: The name says it all.

I'm back! I'm sorry, but school is soooo….stressful so sometimes I really might update late. Sorry in advance!

Now, on with the story! I hope you like it!

A Wish On A Butterfly

Chapter 3 – Alone…or not?

I have nobody.

No one's there. I'm beside myself in all that I do…

It's so lonely here in my abyss, so dark and uncomfortable. I wish I had someone to be with. And if I did, I'd be out of this wretched place. With light, light that I haven't seen for so long…

I've waited for an answer, at every second of every day, but I still have nothing. God hasn't given me the answer yet, and I can do nothing but wait anyway.

So I do.

I've longed so much to have or even just to know who I like.

Sakura once said that everybody has a soulmate. When will mine come to me? Or do I have to come to him?

And at least Sakura knows in her heart that Sasuke is her one true love. Neji has Tenten, though he doesn't see it yet. Lee can't really reach Sakura, and I doubt he ever will, but at least he knows, like how Sakura does. Heck, even Naruto has Hinata but he's too dense to see it all.

Some people just fall in love with material things, too. Chouji is obsessed with his potato chips. Shino loves bugs. I hate bugs. Anyway, Kiba has his dog, Akamaru was it?

Okay, and I guess that's it. I'm not forgetting anyone, am I?

No, I didn't. I didn't forget anyone who has his hair tied up so that he looks like a pineapple.

No, not really.

As for me, well…

I'm alone. Yeah, all alone with nobody in particular. There's this missing piece of this jigsaw puzzle that has my heart on it. I feel heavy as lead. It's just so confusing.

I'm lost because I don't have anyone to guide me, no special person that comes along once in a lifetime…

And I wish that I wouldn't even cry. There's nothing to cry about…so why are these streams of crystal running down my face? W-why am I like this?

Why am I crying for someone I don't know?

Am I meant for no one? Do I not have anyone to laugh, love and live with? No one to spend sad and happy times and grow old with?

Life can just be so strange…especially when it comes to love, you'll never know. They all come in different, disguised packages.

Some are beautifully wrapped, some are mysteriously blank, and some are plain and dull.

And when you think that you have that special gift, you realize it's not and it disappears.

Yes, just like Sasuke…

But I don't want to talk about him. I just want to know why I'm here like this.

Have you ever wondered why is it that life always gives you the answers you don't need to know and never the answers you desperately need?

I have yet to find out why it works that way.

Probably when I'm not heartbroken.

Oh, excuse me. Heartbroken? I have nothing and nobody to be heartbroken about.

Not even a guy who likes a pony tailed blonde who isn't me. So what if her hair is a shade darker?

I wonder what my future will be. I wish I had one of those crystal balls, or fortune-telling cards and such.

But then, if I really am going to be left all alone, then I won't have any fate. I'll remain here, cold and alone, for the rest of my backstabbing life with no one to lean on except these lifeless, stone walls.

And what will happen if I'll be left here with my misery while everyone falls in love, forgets me and moves on? Who will save me? Who will pull me up and help me move forward to forget the killing pain that I never knew could hurt so much?

Is this my destiny?

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Dawn. The sun has begun to rise, the grass still wet with dewdrops. The air is a bit cold, but the morning mist always disappears later on. The first glimmering rays of light on another new day shine through the horizon.

The sunrise is so beautiful. The colors soothe you; they swirl in shades of pastel blue, cheerful yellow and bright orange, and even a bit of spring green. And as they seep into the night sky, one by one, the diamonds embedded in the heavens disappear. The majestic royal purple fades to a robin's egg blue.

Isn't it so peaceful?

That is, until...

"**RINNNNGGGGG!** Rise and shine, rise and shine! Tootie-tootie bing bong! Wake up wake up wake up! Hoot Hoot Hoot! Ding Dong Ding Dong…I love youuuuuuuu! Give me a 9, 0, 4, 10, 7! Yeah yeah baby get up get up before life is o-o-oveeeeer!"

Oh, that's a deranged alarm clock, it can't even count…

I wonder who owns it?

And suddenly, a girl with pale blonde hair and periwinkle eyes reaches out her hand and clicks the "wake" button. Thank god, the crazy thing stops.

"Stupid damn freaky annoying creepy psychotic alarm clock…" the girl groans sleepily.

She slowly gets up and changes to her usual purple clothes and brushes her golden hair.

Tangle-free.

For now.

"Ino! Breakfast!" A voice calls.

"Coming!"

And it's the start of a wonderful day.

Or am I being sarcastic?

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Later, much much much more later…

Ino lied down on her bed, thinking about something.

Yeah, -THAT- something.

The sun was already in the three o'clock position. Yeah, the day was almost over. Everything was ordinary, I guess. Nothing went too wrong. But there's always those nine remaining hours left…

Hmmm, had she taken up Shikamaru's habits lately? One thing's for sure: We'll never know.

Unconsciously, she took a purple pillow from the edge of her bed and hugged it tightly as if she had lost it, trying to channel all of her emotions into the thing, hoping that she'd forget the embarrassing moment soon enough. But it was too stubborn and wouldn't get out.

She was just about to drift off into slumber when a shrill, high-pitched sound came out of nowhere, shaking her up.

"TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!"

God, in the morning it's the alarm clock and now it's the phone? What is wrong with the machines and why are they rebelling? And why the hell does that thing ring that way? Have you ever seen another cordless phone that goes "TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" ?

Sigh.

Ino picked up the cursed phone piece, pushing one side to her ear and placing the other side near her mouth. Duh. It's what you do when you answer the phone.

And, as what usually happens on another ordinary day when you answer your horrible phone, a voice came from the other side.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Moshi moshi, good afternoon! My name is Haruno Sakura; may I please speak to Ino-chan?" said a female voice that could, at times, be so sweet and yet, at other's, be like a dog's.

Yeah, Sakura's.

"That's me. Hi Sakura!"

"Hey." Ino said casually. "So, why did you call?"

"Boredom." Sakura said as if it were so obvious.

"Oh."

"So, what's up? Are you thinking about anything?" The pink-haired girl said over the phone.

Ino tried not to think about what she had just thought of. NO! Of course it wasn't the guy she loved…

_Ino: HEY! DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!_

_Inner voice: So-rry_.

Though, she couldn't keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks.

"U-Uh…nothing."

"Doesn't sound like "nothing." " Her best friend accused. "In fact, it seems that you are thinking about someone…special!"

Ino gasped.

"NO!"

"What the--? Calm down, Ino! That was just a joke!"

"That sounds like something Shika-kun would say…" Ino thought out loud.

Silence. Nothing could be heard except the constant shouts of people throughout the streets of Konoha. But that wasn't the thing that was creeping the blonde nin out, it was the absence of words.

"…" Nothing from the other line.

If she wasn't going to say anything, Ino wasn't going to either.

"…"

"…"

A long, long pause.

"…"

"…"

Very long.

"…"

"…"

Too long.

"…"

"**FOR GOD'S SAKE SAY SOMETHING ALREADY INO-PIG!**"

Ino winced, hearing inner Sakura shout, someone that she hadn't heard from for a very long time ever since she tried to control Sakura and make her give up in the Chuunin exams.

"…okay…" Ino squeaked.

She swore that Sakura was smiling sweetly enough to make all of your teeth rot.

"There! That was easy enough, wasn't it?"

"Uh…ehrm…why were you being so quiet?"

"Because, I was trying to think about the proof that you were thinking about Shikamaru-san, and the big odds that you have a crush on him."

"…w-wha…"

"The first telltale sign: You are embarrassed of talking about him!"

Ino jumped at hearing that, and stiffened.

"…I-I do n-not…" Ino said quietly.

"Second telltale sign: Personality changes when doing something involving him! You're being shy, Ino! You're not your boisterous, happy self!" Sakura chirped happily.

"….b-but I d-don't like h-him…"

Ino began to shift uncomfortably.

"Third telltale sign: You won't admit you like him!" Sakura said, as if that was something Ino would be happy about.

Ino couldn't take it anymore. That wasn't true!

Of course it wasn't true!

It wasn't supposed to be true!

It could never be true!

It's….not?

"**WHAT!"**

"Come on, just say it, and I'll stop talking about it after that, once and for all! I'm your best friend right? You can tell me anything!"

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Sure?"

"I swear.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Truly?"

"INO!"

"Okay, okay! I-I'll do it now…"

Ino wasn't actually sure she could do it though.

"I…I…"

"Go on."

"Just remember that this isn't true, okay! I'm doing it because you're forcing me to!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm great, aren't I? Okay, do it now."

"I…I…"

"Just get it over with!"

"I…"

The ex-Uchiha fan club member took a sharp intake of breath. She gulped. She couldn't take the pressure…she just couldn't do it…

A faint click sounded, but Ino was a bit sure that it was just her imagination.

It was now or never. Sakura was going to kill her if she didn't say anything. Sakura's punches were hard. VERY hard.

She sure fitted the job as Tsunade's apprentice.

Okay. One….

Two…

Three.

She closed her eyes.

"**I LOVE SHIKAMARU!** There, I said it! That's a lie, okay!" She shouted.

She sighed, stealing a glance at the mirror only to find out that she was so…red.

"Finally, it's over…"

She waited for Sakura to make a comment, to say "Yes! I did it!" or burst into maniacal laughter until she died.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

Nothing.

Four seconds. Five seconds.

Still nothing.

"Sakura?"

_**Click.**_

Now she was very sure that she hadn't imagined it this time. It was the same "click" she heard just a while ago. Ino was getting scared.

"S-Sakura! What was that!"

She heard a suppressed giggle, concluding that Sakura put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too much.

"Oh nothing…." Sakura said.

Boy, she sure sounds happy.

"Come on, what was that?" Ino pushed. Damn, what was that?

"Oh, nothing, I said…."

Ino sweated. Now she definitely knew something was horribly wrong. I just hope that wasn't—

"…just my tape recorder."

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TBC…

Moshi moshi means **_the Japanese phone equivalent of "Hello?"_**.

Arigato means **_thank you_**.

Mendokuse means **_troublesome_**.

Okay, did you like that? Did I just make a cliffhanger or something? Hehehehehehe…

Am I making it too fast? Sometimes I have the tendency to do that. Sorry!

Anyway, click that little button on the lower left part of the screen and leave a review! I'll be so happy if you're kind enough to do that! Thanks to everyone who reviewed too!

I'll update soon, and…

Thanks again to everybody!


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